When a Daughter Dies…

(For those who have asked, the way to donate to the Christy Ann Witherington scholarship fund is by going to https://www.asburyseminary.edu/give/give-online , filling out the form and specifying under the “other” category the “Christy Witherington Scholarship”. Of course, you can also mail checks to the Asbury Seminary Advancement Office and just specify the scholarship on the check memo or in a note).

Ann and I wrote the following poem for the ebook.

WHEN A DAUGHTER DIES…

When a daughter dies,
The lights go out
And then you must decide….
Whether to curse the dying of the light,
Or look for a way to turn them on again….

When a daughter dies,
Your heart breaks,
And then you must decide…
Whether you wish to keep on bleeding,
Or seek the path of healing…..

When a daughter dies
Your hopes are dashed,
And then you must decide…
Whether knowing the ‘reason’ will help,
Or should you just keep on moving?

When a daughter dies
Praying’s hard,
And then you must decide…
Whether you want to know why God said no,
Or is the truth too hard to handle….

When a daughter dies
There are no heirs,
And then you must decide…
Whether a ‘brace of kinsmen’
Was really in the offing anyway….

When a daughter dies
The bills come due.
And then you must decide…
Whether to sell all her things,
Or no longer let those belongings belong…

When a daughter dies
You must clean out her house
And then you must decide…
When a house is not a home
And if you’re left alone.

When a daughter dies,
You must bury the body
And then you must decide…
Whether the past should be passed
And your memories remembered.

When a daughter dies
You rise to the occasion
And then you must decide…
Whether you will be pleasantly surprised
When you see her again in the flesh.

March 1, 2012